What books are you reading right now? I'm looking for something current that has the possibility of being a classic in time.

i cant read… i went to public schools.

“Spychips”

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

New York Times bestseller, appropriate for February. Rather engrossing.

Dubliners – James Joyce, Far From the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy, and The Evolution of Useful Things – Henry Petroski

I have to say that I am greatly enjoying The Evolution of Useful Things though I don’t think it’s going to be a classic. Both Dubliners and Far From the Madding Crowd are already considered classics by many.

THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson; how one young man with a dream and not much money can make a difference, first in Pakistan and then in Afganistan.

“The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives”
by: Leonard Mlodinow;

It wwill never be a classic, but is interesting.

Nearly finished all of Kurt Vonnegut’s books…......weird, but somewhat entertaining.

Old School by Tobias Wolff

It’s a beautifully written book about prep school boys that desperately want to be writers, and are each and everyone unaware of how hackneyed and derivative their work is. It’s quite charming and never passes judgment on all the boys involved in their little literary pissing contest.

I though it was a lot older, but actually it was published in 2003.

Apparently it was a finalist for the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Prize for Fiction, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. But I guess it didn’t win.

The Gun Seller.

Hugh Laurie writes! And it’s wonderfully funny. Will be a classic IMO for certain.

i’m reading fountainhead for school. i like it howard roark is so sexy but i have high doubts that i’ll finish 500 more pages by 23 feb. ):

Love in the Time of Cholera or 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They’re definitely international classics (Gabriel Garcia Marquez has won the Nobel Prize in Literature, among many many other awards), but his books haven’t really caught on in the US yet.

@aprilsimnel—I loved The Gun Seller. :D

@tiffyandthewall—You can do it! Fluther believes in you!

I have a few books in progress at the moment. Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits (by Dave Barry, as one might have guessed), Silas Marner by George Eliot, Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods by Michael Wex, and Leaving Home by Garrison Keillor, all for the first time. And I’m re-reading A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.

@tiffyandthewall, you can do it! Have you seen the movie with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck?

Right now I am reading The Secret Life of Words. My husband and I have just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which is worth a separate question. (I don’t want to derail this one.) My recent reading is listed in my profile. I don’t read any drivel or pulp, but it’s not all great literature either. The best book I’ve read lately is The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, which does deserve to become a classic.

Thanks, @fundevogel and @Baloo72, for the Wolff and Petroski recommendations, respectively. I’ve just ordered both on Amazon. @Cardinal, the Mlodinow was a fascinating read, wasn’t it? I wish I could remember all that. The main thing I learned was not to take the obvious answer for granted when it comes to anything pertaining to odds or chances.

@macbean, Silas Marner is a wonderful book and most unjustly maligned. People associate it with school reading assignments, which do it a great disservice. I doubt there’s a work in existence that can withstand the curse of the dread chapter summary. George Eliot’s insight into the depths of the human heart make this small but profound work a moving experience.

@AlfredaPrufrock, i haven’t. is it good? maybe i’ll watch it to at least get the gist of the story. (:

the only fault i find in the book is that it moves so slowly. i do appreciate detail, but when i’ve got limited time, i just don’t care what the walls look like to be honest.
also, i’m just like so captivated by roark that i don’t have the patience to read through keating’s part. hahhaa.

@AlfredaPrufrock, it was Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. @tiffy, the 1949 movie was good, but it is no substitute for the book, and it makes some important changes in plot and characters.

How recent is recent? I recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving to just about everyone.

@Jeruba—Yes, I’m very glad I’m reading Silas Marner on my own instead of for a school assignment. I’m all for analyzing literature, but schools (especially high schools) tend to get into OVERanalysis and then it stops being so much fun.

@La_chica_gomela lurve for Garcia Marquez :) :) :)
All The King’s Men is a timeless classic. It’s inception was inspired by the life of Hughie Long, the radical populist governor of Louisiana who fell by his own sword and was assasinated before the end of his term.

Paulo Coelho’s books are great.

Specifically, the Alchemist, what an amazing novel.

Richard Russo’s books are all laid back but compelling. He is like the Updike of the next era.

I forgot! I’m also “reading” The Failed Cities Monologues and quite enjoying it. I love podiobooks.com.

@ rooeytoo – I really like Richard Russo too, especially “Nobody’s Fool”.

Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I realize it’s a Target Book Club Pick, but it was an amzing read.

@jeruba, the Alzheimers is kicking in! I just watched the Fountainhead this week.

@AlfredaPrufrock, I just saw it in January or I wouldn’t have been so sure. These days I check most movie facts with IMDb in case of memory fades.

I’ve also been reading the Bible. The plot is kinda hard to follow sometimes, but its been a bestseller for forever.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Arch of Justice by Kevin Boyle (one of my good friends dad wrote that)

I’m only 14

@fundevogel and @Baloo72, reporting back after two weeks: thank you for your excellent recommendations. The Old School is certainly a writer’s book, and beautifully done. And The Evolution of Useful Things is just the sort of deep exploration of the ordinary that truly satisfies ny curiosity. I am a true fan of paper clips—really!—and think their history is fascinating.

I’m glad you like it :). I’ll have to check out the other one, but I’m taking a break from reading right now so I can get stuff done.